Imagine the scene: Paris, early 1980s. Yves Saint Laurent, the haute couture genius immersed in his excesses, locks eyes with Robert Mapplethorpe, the artist who turned the obscurity of New York’s clubs into transgressive art. Whether the two ever met remains unknown, but Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent’s creative director, couldn’t resist the temptation of crafting this narrative for his Winter 2025 collection. “They were both image-makers, masters of control, but with a dark side,” reflected the designer, who transformed this hypothetical dialogue between icons into garments that oscillate between the classic and the subversive.
Under the imposing dome of the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, Vaccarello recreated a setting worthy of a film noir: a mirrored floor reflecting the amber glow of five monumental chandeliers, illuminating models who strode past with quick steps, like fugitives from a clandestine cocktail party. The intentionally diffuse atmosphere both concealed and revealed details: broad shoulders—though not exaggerated—in double-breasted wool and tweed suits; nocturnal overcoats adorned with rooster feathers; and, of course, thigh-high leather boots, present in every look, even those featuring tight leather trousers. It was a game of contrasts: the sobriety of classic tailoring clashed with the raw sensuality of leather, while corporate attire took on a desk-to-dungeon aesthetic—as if executives were swapping boardroom meetings for forays into underground basements.
The reference to Mapplethorpe was not merely metaphorical. Vaccarello delved into the photographer’s sharp yet refined aesthetic, translating it into robust, almost theatrical leather coats and silhouettes that blended rigor with decadence. The tribute to YSL, on the other hand, was evident in the impeccable cuts, the use of tartan plaids, and the obsession with calculated details—“nothing is left to chance,” the designer emphasized. The apparent contradiction between these two worlds dissolved in pieces like a wide-lapel blazer layered over a high-gloss leather boot or a trench coat that could belong just as much to a banker as to a character from Cruising.
Despite Vaccarello’s signature deliberate repetition of silhouettes, the collection avoided monotony by exploring subtle tensions. Feathers, for instance, appeared as flashes of extravagance amid earthy tones and deep blacks, while leather—the collection’s core material—was treated with a discreet, almost subliminal sheen. Even the set design, with its Versailles-style flooring and speakeasy lighting, reinforced the duality: luxury and danger, control and transgression.
In the end, the question remained: what unites a French couturier and an artist who captured America’s underground? For Vaccarello, the answer lies in “boldness disguised as elegance.” His Saint Laurent man still wears a suit and tie, but draped over his shoulders is a leather coat that conceals more stories—and secrets—than it reveals. As Mapplethorpe once said, true art lies in what is left unsaid. And in this collection, what remained unsaid was the most seductive of all.
MEN'S WINTER 25 SHOW
BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO
BOURSE DE COMMERCE – PINAULT COLLECTION
© TADAO ANDO ARCHITECT & ASSOCIATES, NINEY ET MARCA ARCHITECTES, AGENCE PIERRE-ANTOINE GATIER
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